The University of Toronto (U of T) has ranked first among publicly funded universities in North America for research output, according to the August 2026 edition of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

U of T received a research output score of 75.1. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) ranked fourth with 59.8, while the University of California, Berkeley ranked ninth with 52.0.

The ranking looked at more than 2,500 universities around the world and measured their academic and research performance using several factors.

U Of T Leads In Research Output

ARWU measures research output based on the number of research papers published by university researchers and indexed in two major databases: the Science Citation Index-Expanded and the Social Science Citation Index.

The research output score, known as PUB, is one of six indicators used in the ranking.

U of T was the only Canadian university to score high enough in this category to compete with major public universities in the United States.

When all six indicators were combined, U of T placed sixth among the leading public universities in North America. The other universities in the top positions were major American state universities.

Globally, U of T ranked 13th for overall research and academic performance. This was an improvement from 14th place in the previous year’s ranking.

Factors Used In The Ranking

The six indicators used by ARWU to assess universities include:

  • Alumni (10%): Number of an institution’s alumni who have won Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals.
  • Award (20%): Number of an institution’s staff who have won Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine and economics, and Fields Medals in mathematics.
  • HiCi (20%): Number of Highly Cited Researchers at the institution, as identified by Clarivate.
  • N&S (20%): Number of research articles published in Nature and Science.
  • PUB (20%): Total number of papers indexed in the Science Citation Index-Expanded and the Social Science Citation Index.
  • PCP (10%): Per capita academic performance of an institution.

The PUB measure played an important role in U of T’s strong position for research output. It focuses on the volume of academic papers indexed in major research databases.

The ARWU ranking is published by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy and has been released annually for more than two decades.

The August 2026 edition marks the 23rd edition of the ranking. It highlights U of T’s strong research activity and places the Canadian university among the leading research institutions in North America and worldwide.

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